Bangor man with toy gun arrested

BANGOR, Maine — A man with a toy gun was arrested Friday night after a citizen flagged down police to report a male flashing a gun from the backseat of a car on Stillwater Avenue, Bangor police Sgt. Chip Hodges said on Saturday.

The victim reported that the man in the backseat used the weapon in a threatening manner “while he was holding the gun outside of the car,” he said.

The victim gave police a description of the car and the man holding the gun and a matching vehicle was stopped by Officer Richard Polk at around 7:30 p.m. Friday near the corner of Stillwater and Essex Street.

In the backseat, Polk found William Cushman, 19, of Bangor with a pellet gun at his feet.

What type of pellet gun and whether it was a high-powered device was not known, Sgt. Allen Hayden said on Saturday. He said the pellet gun was taken as evidence.

Cushman, who is on probation, was arrested and charged with threatening display of a weapon and for violating his probation. He was taken to Penobscot County Jail.

Since becoming an adult Cushman has been convicted of four assaults, two thefts by unauthorized taking or transfer, violating conditions of his release, possession of marijuana and sale and use of drug paraphernalia, according to prior court listings printed in the Bangor Daily News.

He also was convicted at the age of 15 for operating vehicle without license.

Cushman is being held in jail without bail for the probation violation and is scheduled to be in court at the Penobscot Judicial Center on Monday, Hodges said.